Indianpolis: Doug Kalitta preview

NHRA Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta heads to the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals in Indy with a small lead and big expectations
Clermont, Ind., (Aug. 29, 2005) - In its most simple terms, this Labor Day
weekend's running of the 51st Mac Tools U.S.

NHRA Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta heads to the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals in Indy with a small lead and big expectations

Clermont, Ind., (Aug. 29, 2005) - In its most simple terms, this Labor Day
weekend's running of the 51st Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Clermont, Ind.,
Aug. 31-Sept. 5, just outside of downtown Indianapolis, is merely the 18th
event in the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, but to racers, fans and
everyone else involved, this weekend is "the" event of the year, as it is
every year. It's known as the Big Go and Top Fuel championship points leader
Doug Kalitta, driver of the bright red Mac Tools flagship dragster, is going
to Indianapolis Raceway Park with the eyes of the racing world upon him.

First of all, it's Doug's sponsor's, Mac Tools, event. The pressure to win
any event on the NHRA's 23-national event trail is always greater when the
name on your 7,000 horsepower nitro race car matches the name on the marquee
and other copious amounts of signage scattered around the quarter-mile race
track. Second, it's Indy. It is the race that every drag racer dreams of
winning. To win at Indy defines a career because of its legendary history
and its unrivaled level of competition in every racing class. Finally, the
pressure to succeed in Indianapolis is even greater on Doug this season
because he enters the famed event with a very slim four-point lead over
second place Tony Schumacher in the battle for the 2005 POWERade
championship with only six events remaining.

"Yeah, I feel the pressure for sure this year," Doug said. "I've never won
at Indy. We came very close last year, but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe this
will be our year.

"It's really hard to describe how big this race is for me and my Mac Tools
team. There are so many reasons why we want to do well, but the main thing
we all have to do is keep our focus and concentrate on qualifying and then
hopefully winning one round at a time.

"At Indy especially, it's so easy to get ahead of yourself and start
thinking "what if", but we can't let ourselves do that. We need to forget
about the points and go racing. Of course, we want to increase our lead
because the championship is our ultimate goal, but if we just go out there
and do our jobs, the points will take care of themselves."

Doug was No. 1 qualifier for the Big Go last year (4.544 seconds, 320.51
mph), and he took a runner-up finish in the final round in 2004 to
Schumacher. Doug holds the IRP track record for speed at 328.86 mph (2003).

Two-time Top Fuel championship points runner-up (2003-2004) Doug, 41, is an
eight-year Top Fuel veteran and former USAC National Sprint Car Champion
(1994). He owns 24 NHRA national event trophies. His wins so far in 2005
were in Gainesville, Fla., Bristol, Tenn., Atlanta, Sonoma, Calif., and
Brainerd, Minn.

The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals begins Friday, Sept. 2, for the Top Fuel class
with one qualifying session. Two more qualifying sessions follow on Saturday
with two more chances to qualify on Sunday. The top sixteen qualified cars
will race Monday in final eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals is the 18th of 23 national events in the 2005
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.